25: Robin Li

STAGE OF GLOBAL CONQUEST: Li holds an extremely rare distinction as “the guy who beat Google.” His Baidu is China’s dominant search engine and has easily fended off competition from Silicon Valley. The fact that Google left China last year after fighting with its government—and China-based hackers—has made it that much easier. It’s all enough to make Li the richest man in China.

ALL THE WORLD’S A CRITIC: Rivals complain that Baidu punishes companies that don’t advertise with the search engine by making them hard to find. And democracy advocates are dismayed that Baidu complies with China’s state-mandated censorship edicts.

ROAD NOT TAKEN: Google, which invested $5 million in Baidu early on, came close to buying the company before its 2005 I.P.O.

EVIDENCE OF POSSIBLY MEGALOMANIACAL BEHAVIOR: Li has hired “fans” to mob him at public appearances.